Practical Gardening
WITH the schools having closed up for the summer holidays many of us will be heading for the coast over the next few weeks. While enjoying the sun, sand and surf you are also likely to encounter gardens full of colour that on the surface look to be growing care free. To be honest during the summer this is generally true but coastal gardening does throw up some unique problems for their owners particularly during the winter months.
The first and most obvious problem is salt pollution carried on the wind. This is a much bigger problem on the West and South West coast lines than on the East. This is because of Irelands general weather pattern which means you are going to get more frequent salt ladened winds, more regular storms and high winds from the West and South West. Still if you are a kilometre or more as the crow flies from the coast this really shouldn’t be a major issue.
Winds in general, salt ladened or not, can be another coastal garden problem. Although of course wind is not solely a coastal issue for gardeners in Ireland it is more likely to be severe and more regular coastally than in land. While the West and South West again is likely to suffer most, the winds are generally warm even in the winter. On the East coast however when an East or or North East wind hits especially in winter the chill factor can do a lot of leaf burn damage.
Light sandy soil is another issue in coastal gardens. Light soils dry out quickly and also leach nutrients leaving them unavailable to the growing plants. Lights soils may also provide less roots stability and anchorage for plants causing poor growth and possibly the plant toppling over. Regular fertilising, incorporating organic matter when planting and using a mulch will help with these issues.
The easiest way though, if you don’t want a constant battle, to deal with these potential problems is to work with your location and plants plants that suit your environment.
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